A Boy and His Books
by Panthers Midnight Lair
Summary: Oma returned a very sullen and moody Daniel Jackson to the human plane of existence. Can Sam find a way to awaken the old Daniel that is trapped inside?


A Boy and His Books  
Author: Panther  
Season: 7  
Rating: G  
Pairing: None  
Category: General  
Spoilers: Meridian, Fallen

Oma returned a very sullen and moody Daniel Jackson to the human plane of existence. Can Sam find a way to awaken the old Daniel that is trapped inside?

Sam hung up her jacket in the quiet of the women's locker room and sighed heavily. Six years in the stargate program, hundreds of alien worlds, a handful of varied levels of mind blowing technology, but today qualified hands down as the most bizarre moment she'd ever experienced. Her mind was spinning so furiously that she could hardly keep track of the maelstrom of thoughts that had taken wing in the face of a simple, but nearly unbelievable truth: Daniel was alive.

She had watched him wander down the steps looking almost as apprehensive as she felt and for an instant she wondered if she was hallucinating. One quick glance at the Colonel's face had told her she wasn't. Despite the year that had passed Daniel looked exactly the same. He walked the same way, carried himself the same way, and wore a not altogether unfamiliar expression on his face that Sam had translated in an instant. He was deeply disturbed by something. It was the expression of "hurting Daniel" and she had reached out in an attempt to offer comfort only to have him brush her aside. It had confused her more than hurt her. Of course, now she understood why.

Sam closed her locker door and left the darkened room, headed in the direction of her lab as the thoughts continued to spin. Daniel's expressions and mannerisms had been the same, but his behavior hadn't. She had never seen him so sullen and moody before. Sure, he went through periods where he was quiet, avoiding eye contact when something struck him a bit too deep, but self-pity was not something Daniel ever ventured into. She wasn't a psychologist, but suspected that it had to do with the fact that Daniel blamed himself for nearly everything. No room for self-pity among all the guilt. So why, she mused as she walked on auto pilot to her office, was he different now?

Wandering through the door and settling in front of her computer it was several keystrokes before the answer dawned on her with enough force to bring her head up. In an instant she was up from her chair and striding quickly through the maze of hallways to what was now Jonas' office.

"Hi, Sam." He greeted with his ever present cheerfulness.

"Hi. Can I borrow a few things?" She asked, glancing at the well stocked book shelves.

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Books." She informed him.

"Ok. Any topic in particular or are you just looking to fix a wobbling leg on a table?"

"Anything you can give me." She smiled.

Jonas pulled a small selection of archaeology and other reference books from the shelves, including a few old dusty copies of National Geographic and handed them to her.

"Thanks." She said over her shoulder as she headed back toward the door.

She and Daniel had always had one thing in common. They both used work as a coping mechanism. It was their solace; their escape from the bumps and bruises of life. Daniel had been sitting on Vis Uban for two months with nothing to do, but contemplate his situation; stewing over it. What he needed was something to take his mind off…well, his mind.

Sam stopped outside the door to the VIP room that was serving as Daniel's temporary quarters and knocked.

"Come in." Came the muffled reply, the familiar voice making Sam smile.

"Hi." She said, peering into the room. "How's it going?"

"It's a little strange." He admitted as she closed the door behind her, casting sideways glances in her direction. "I don't remember any of this."

Despite having followed them willingly through the gate Sam knew he was taking it on faith that he really was the person they said he was. From his perspective he was a stranger among strangers.

"Give it time." She gently reassured him.

"What if I never get my memory back?" He asked, staring at the floor.

"Then I guess we get to start over." She shrugged, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. This time he didn't brush her hand aside. "In the meantime, I brought you a little present."

Daniel glanced at her curiously as Sam handed the stack of books to him.

"It's nothing too in depth." She apologized. "General Hammond hasn't cleared you for classified material yet, but I thought it would at least give you something to look at besides the walls."

Daniel opened the book on the top of the pile and quickly flipped through the pages, a small smile lighting his face.

"You left a whole library behind." She said. "So when you finish those there are plenty more waiting."

She watched as his anxiety seemed to melt, a measure of the tension draining from his body as he scanned the pages.

"Thank you, Samantha." He said. "Sam."

"You're welcome." She smiled back at him and headed for the door. "You know," she paused, turning back to him "I'm going back to my office to work on a project. It wouldn't be very exciting, but it would be better than sitting in here alone." She offered. "You're welcome to join me."

"I'd like that." He nodded, his smile growing, the stack of books held to his chest as he followed her out the door.


End file.
